Automatic-platen printing-press.



A. LAGERMAN & V. LANDQVIST. AUTOMATIC PLATEN PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1921.

Famed May 19, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COWWASHINUTON, n. c.

M {M M A. LAGERMAN & V. LANDQVIST.

AUTOMATIC PLATEN PRINTING PRESS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 13, 1911 Patented May 19, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER L-AGERMAN, OF TOMTEBERGET, LERUM, AND VICTOR LANDQVIST, 0FGOTTENBORG, SWEDEN, ASSIG-NORS TO AKTIEBOLAGE'I PRINCEPS, OFGO'ITENBORG,

SWEDEN, A CORPORATION OF SWEDEN.

AUTOMATIG-PLATEN PRINTING-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19-, 1914.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER LAGER- MAN, a subject of the King ofSweden, and resident of Tomteberget, Lerum, in the Kingdom of Sweden,and VIoToR LAND- QVIST, a subject of the King of Sweden, and resident of50 Drottninggatan, Gottenborg, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvement-s in Automatic-PlatenPrinting-Presses of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a device in automatic platen printing pressesfor bringing the platen automatically into its inoperative position. Anautomatic platen printing press is described in the U. S. LettersPatents Nos. 792523 and758453 and is so arranged, that it feeds thepaper automatically, sheet by sheet, from the feed-table to the platenand delivers the same, so that the press can be run without anyattendance except the supplying of paper sheets, when they have givenout. It is, however, desired that presses of the said class operateautomatically also in such manner, that the printing operation ceases,z. e. that the platen is not brought in contact with the form, if, forsome reason, the paper feeding device should not function or if the pileof paper-sheets supplied to the press should have given out.

This invention consists in a device rendering the press automatic in thesaid respect. The paper feeding device is pneumatic and the feeding ofthe sheets is effected in such manner that the sheet is raised at one ofits edges by a suction-pipe provided with mouthpieces, which pipecommunicates with a suction-pump. The said sheet is then seized bygrippers and conveyed by the same to the platen, as stated in the U. S.Letters Patent No. 792523. The device in question is based upon the saidsuction action in such manner, that a cylinder with piston communicateswith the pump and that the said piston determines, whether aneccentricand lever arm-mechanism, which is connected with the platen andcan move the same into an inoperative position, should operate or not.If during the suction operation there are sheets of paper on thefeedtable and the top sheet is raised in the ordi If, on the other hand,there is no sheet of paper on the feed-table or the feed-device shouldfail, the said piston occupies a different position'and acts by means ofa special mechanism upon the said eccentricand lever arm-mechanism insuch manner, that the platen is caused to occupy an inoperative positionwith relation to the form. As the whole printing press is shown in theU. S. Letters Patent No. 7 92523, only such parts of the same are shownin the accompanying drawings as form or cooperate with the automaticallyoperating device in question for bringing the platen into itsinoperating position.

Figure 1 is a side view of the said device. Figs. 2 and 3 are plan viewsof some parts of the said device. Figs. 1 and 5 show some parts of Fig.1 in other positions. Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are sections of themouth-pieces.

The platen 1 oscillates, as usually, between an upper position, in whichit bears against the form 2, and a lower position, in which the printedsheet is conveyed from the same by special mechanism. The said platen isoscillated by two pitmen 3, one at each side of the machine andconnected with arms 4 respectively, which turn pivotally about studs attheir lower ends and carry the platen. The platen embraces a shaft 5,which is journaled in the said arms and forms an eccentric, actuatingthe platen 1, so that by rotating the shaft the platen 1, when locatedin its upper position, can be moved from the form for such a distance,that it is out of contact with the same. From the shaft 5 a lever arm 6extends, acted upon by a strong spiral spring 7, which tends to rotatethe shaft in such direction, that the platen 1 is moved from the form.The shaft 5 is held in its opposite position, corresponding to theoperating position of the platen 1 by a side projection 8 on the arm 6hearing against the top arm 9 of a lever, which is pivoted to one of thearms 1 and the other arm of which extends downward in order to be actedupon, when necessary, by a catch, when the platen is in its loweredposition, so that the said lever 9, 10 does not form a support to thearm 6 during the subsequent upward movement of the platen. To the outerend of the arm 6 a rod 11 is pivoted, which extends downward and passesfreely through a support 12, pivoted to the frame of the printing press.Above the said support the rod 11 is provided with a ring 13, which isadjustable longitudinally of the rod and by means of which the rod canbear upon the support 12, thus forming a further support to the arm 6 inaddition to the lever 9, 10. At a point nearer to the feed-table 14 acatch 15 is pivoted to the frame, which extends upward in an obliquedirection into the path of the lever 9, 10 and is swung upward by aspring 16 as far as permitted by an abutment. The said catch 15 has alateral pro jection 17 which, as the catch 15 is lowered, can be engagedby a catch 18, loosely mounted on a shaft 19. The said shaft 19 has anarm 20, which is connected with the rod of the piston 21 mentioned aboveand operating in the cylinder 22. A three-armed lever 24 is fixed to theend of the shaft 19.

A three-armed lever 24: is fixed to the end of the shaft 19. A spring 23connected to one arm of said lever, tends to rotate the lever and shaft19, to the right as the drawing is held. An oppositely extending arm ofthe lever 24, is connected by a spring with the catch 18, tending todraw the catch to the left and hold it yieldingly against the middle armof the lever 24. The spring 23, when there is no vacuum beneath thepiston 22, will hold the catch 18, through its engagement with themiddle arm of the lever 24, cut of operative engagement with theprojection 17 of the catch 15. The said spring 23, however, is so weak,that the tension of the same is overcome by the piston, when moveddownward owing to a vacuum created in the cylinder. The catch 18 isthereby swung toward the projection 17. The suction device comprises apump a, the piston b of which is caused to reciprocate in the ordinarymanner. The pump a communicates through a tube 0 with the suction pipe26. From the tube 0, a tube cl extends to the cylinder 22. By thesuction stroke of the pump a, the piston 21 is lowered, provided themouthpieces of the pipe 26 be covered by a sheet as already described,and a rotatablepipe 26 extending longitudinally of the feed-table 14,and a plurality of sleeves 27 mounted on the pipe and shaped tomouth-pieces, each of which can be rotated around the pipe. The endsurface of the mouth-piece is straight and provided with a plurality ofholes 28. In the pipe 26 an opening is provided, corresponding to thecavity of the mouth-piece.

\Vhen the mouth-piece is swung downward, the mouth-piece communicateswith the pipe through the said opening, and when the mouth-piece isswung upward (in a lateral sense), the said opening is closed.Consequently, the mouth-piece forms a kind of cock, which permits theatmospheric air to enter the pipe 26 through the mouth-piece or shutsofi the same. According to the greater or less width of the paper-sheetor to the number of piles located on the feedtable, at the side of eachother, which table may be divided transversely into a plurality ofcompartments, a corresponding number of mouth-pieces are used, which aredirected downward toward the paper, while the other mouth-pieces areclosed. A closed mouth-piece is shown at the right hand side of Fig. 6.During the suction, effected by the pump, the paper-sheet is raised andplaced against the straight end surface of the mouth-piece, so that itsholes 28 are closed. During the continued operation of the pump thevacuum is increased in the pipe 26 and the cylinder 22, which through apipe communicates with the pipe 26 or with the conduit, connecting thepipe 26 with the pump. Owing to the said increased vacuum the piston 21is moved downward. If, on the other hand, there is no paper on thefeedtable 14, the holes of the corresponding, downward extendingmouth-pieces are not closed. Consequently, the said increased vacuum isnot effected and the piston 21 is not moved downward.

The device operates in the following manner. As the platen (the arms 4)is swung downward in the direction, indicated by the arrow in Fig. l,the end of the lever-arm 10 is placed on the shoulder 30 of the catch 15and forces the catch downward to the position, indicated by dottedlines. At the same 'time the rod 11 has been pushed downward through thesupport 12, owing to the fact that the top end of the arm 4 approachesthe support 12 during the said movement downward. Consequently, the ring13 strikes the support 12, so that the rod 11 is prevented from beingmoved farther downward through the said support but swings the arm 6upward, thus releasing the lever 9, 10, so that it can easily be swung,when acted upon by the catch 15. While the catch 15 is swung downward,its projection 17 is moved into such a position, that the catch 18 canengage the same. If there is a paper-sheet on the feed-table, the piston21 is so moved, that the catch 18 engages the projection 17 and preventsthe catch 15 from being swung upward from the position indicated by thedotted lines, as the platen (the arms a) is again swung upward. Owing tothis fact the catch 15 does not actuate the lever 9, 10, so that thelatter will again support the arm 6, While the platen 1s moved upwardand the ring 13 is raised from the support 12. The printing operation isnow effected in the ordinary manner, as the platen reaches the form. If,on the other hand, there is no paper-sheet under any one of the downwardextending mouth-pieces or, for some reason, the sheet is not raised, theholes 28 are not closed and consequently the piston 21 is not moveddownward and the catch 18 not actuated. As the platen is swung upward,after the catch 15 has been depressed to the position indicated bydotted lines, the catch 15 (acted upon by the spring 16) actuates thelever 9, 10 by means of its inner side 15*, so that the lever 9, 10 fora short period is held in such a position, that it forms no support tothe projection 8, see Fig. 5. During the continued upward movement ofthe platen the shaft 5 is rotated by the spring 7 acting upon the arm 6,so that the platen is not brought into contact with the form whenreaching its uppermost position. During the next downward movement ofthe platen the catch 15 is again depressed. If the catch 18 has engagedthe catch 15 during the previous stroke of the platen, the catch 18 isnow released and swung backward by the sprin r 23, whereupon the catch18 is again broug it into its engaging position, if necessary, withrelation to projection 17 during the succeeding suction operation,according as there is a sheet of paper on the feed-table or not, asexplained above. Instead of the cylinder 22 with the piston 21 a pair ofbellows or any other suitable device may be used for moving the catch 18during the suction operation. It may be observed that the suctionoperation will last only for a short period, until the paper sheet hasbeen caught by the gripper mechanism, in consequence whereof the vacuumin the cylinder 22 is neutralized immediately, permitting the spring 23to act. The pipe 26 can oscillate around an axis coinciding with therear edge of the mouth-piece located in its operating position, as shownin Figs. 8 and 9. Owing to this arrangement the action of the pipe canbe adjusted to the stiffness of the paper.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of acarrier, an eccentric thereon, a platen on said eccentric, aspringactuated lever arm mechanism tending to turn the eccentric andmove the platen into its inoperative position, a movable support for thesaid lever arm mechanism, a pneumatic paper sheet feeding device, avacuum operated mechanism communicating with the said pneumatic feedingdevice and means under the control of the said vacuum 0perated mechanismfor moving aside the said movable support and causing the eccentric andlever arm mechanism to operate when no feed of the paper is efiected.

2-. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination ofoscillating arms, a platen carried thereby, an eccentric shaft adaptedto move the platen into and out of operative position with relation tosaid arms, a lever arm on said shaft, a spring connecting the lever armwith said oscillating arms and tending to move the platen out of itsoperative position, a lever pivoted to the said oscillating arms, theaforesaid lever arm being supported by said lever for holding the platenin its operative position, a pneumatic sheet feeder, a vacuum operatedmechanism connected with the pneumatic sheet feeder, a movable catch forthe said lever, which catch in one position does not move the saidsupport for the lever arm and in another position does move the saidsupport, the positions of said catch being determined by the vacuumforming mechanism.

8. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of theoscillating platen, its carrier, an eccentric, a lever arm and a springfor moving the platen out of its operative position with relation to itscarrier, a lever pivoted to the said carrier forming an upper supportfor the lever arm for holding the platen in its operative position, arod, a guide through which the rod can slide, the said guide forming alower support arranged to be substituted for the aforesaid upper supportduring a part of the downward movement of the platen, a pneumatic sheetfeeder, a catch pivoted to the frame, and a vacuum operated mechanismfor controlling the catch.

4. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of aneccentric, a lever arm mechanism for moving the platen, a spring, asupport for the lever arm mechanism to permit the platen to operate, asupport acting alternately with the former support for relieving it whenthe platen has os cillated backward, a pneumatic sheet feeder, acylinder with its piston, the cylinder communicating with the saidpneumatic feeder to produce a vacuum in the cylinder, intercoactingcatches one of which occupies different positions according as a vacuumis created or not in said cylinder and indirectly under the control of asheet being fed or not fed, one of the catches when a sheet has been fedbeing held in position by the other catch, but in the event a sheet hasnot been fed, being acted upon by a spring, and a spring for acting uponthe catch to move aside the relieved support, thereby permitting thelever arm mechanism to move the platen to its inoperative position.

5. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of aneccentric, a lever arm mechanism, a platen, a platen carrier, a springarranged to act upon the lever arm mechanism to move the platen to itsinoperative position with relation to its carrier, a disengageable catchfor the said lever mechanism arranged to oscillate with the platen,means located in the path of said catching device for disengaging it,

a vacuum operated mechanism for actuating the said means, a pneumaticsheet feeder provided with adjustable mouth pieces and connected withthe said vacuum operated device whereby the said Vacuum operated deviceis placed under Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

